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Violent game causing online furor

The creator of a violent online video game in which players 'beat up,' a female U.S. blogger, claims to be from Sault Ste. Marie.

The game targets Anita Sarkeesian, a blogger raising money for a video series that looks at recurring stereotypes of women in video games.

Sarkeesian's campaign, on fundraising site Kickstarter.com, has prompted an online backlash that Sarkeesian says, in a post on Kickstarter, include, "threats of violence, death, sexual assault and rape," along with organized attempts to have her YouTube videos labelled 'terrorism.'

The backlash includes the game, which was posted to www.newgrounds.com by a user calling himself Bendilin, 25, of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

The game's creator accuses Sarkeesian of "scamming," money out of donors, and claims she, "Uses the excuse that she is a woman to get away with whatever she damn well please (sic)."

The game has since been removed from the site, but a story on Huffington Post Canada calls the game "sick," and says it invites players to click on an image of Sarkeesian, which, "gradually becomes more and more beaten up."

Screen captures of the game show Sarkeesian's face with black eyes and cuts to her face.

A user calling themselves @Bendilin faced a backlash of his own on Twitter, where he defended the game on Friday, denying he condoned actual violence, and saying "The game isn't about "punching women." It's about punching a selfish person. There's a difference."